Sel de Vetiver (The Different Company)

By Dane

Curiously released the same year as daddy's best-selling Terre d'Hermes, also based on vetiver, Sel de Vetiver went in a different direction, and without a doubt did her dad proud.

I was a bit concerned when The Different Company released their first fragrance under the direction of Celine Ellena, Jasmin de Nuit, because it seemed to go astray from the company's asthetic, not to mention father Jean-Claude Ellena's (then in-house perfumer). Celine's second release blew everyone away though. A smoky, transparent vetiver given a sultry twist by the addition of a salty note that replicates the scent of sunned skin. A soft citrus opening segways to the genius combination of iris and vetiver and smoky patchouli, which creates a luminous, fascinating effect.

I'm not a big vetiver fan in general, but SdV is the closest interpretation to perfection for me. I'd almost be tempted to buy a bottle if Chandler Burr hadn't snatched them all up.

Year: 2006
Perfumer: Celine Ellena
Notes: Grapefruit, Patchouli, Iris, Vetiver